I’m not one to stick around for closing credits unless myself or my people are in said film! I blame this on my ADD. Just this past weekend I joined a friend to watch Precious at Union Square. Yes, I left in tears, as did literally everyone else. We arrived in a dark theater and of course were split up in terms of seating. I found a sweet spot in the coveted upper middle. I duck and crawl into my seat. To my right were three girls, very blonde. I scan the room for my friend and was in fact impressed to see so many people of different backgrounds in attendance.
As the film starts, the girl closest to me passes tissues down the aisle, offers me one as if it’s gum! I accept (as I’ve heard the film is a real tear jerker) and spread the “tissue love” to my left. It was a grand gesture! Glad I was to have accepted her offering as there was not a dry shirtsleeve, cheek, or spare tissue in sight at the end of this movie.
I made it to end of the film – and like Johnson & Johnson, no tears! Through the verbal abuse, countless beatings, molestation, and torturous, stated acts of teenage cruelty, I held it together. Then end credits cue 70s rock/gospel act Labelle’s song “It Took a Long Time”… and I lose my shit. This was a song I hadn’t heard in forever. It affects my entire row and we sit in the theater rooted in our seats until the songs end. I get it together and meet up with my displaced friend who too has been recently puffy faced. We walk out into the cold and as it dries our cheeks I’m singing this song over and over. It’s now been three days, and i just can’t shake this song.
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